Top 20 X-Men of the Modern Era | 15-11
We get into the meat of the list with X-Men ranked 15 through 11!
Greetings and salutations true believers! Welcome to part two of our top 20 modern era X-Men. If you want to catch up, read our selections for numbers 20-16. Today we’ll be looking at numbers 15-11. Again, rankings for this list are based on the following;
- Lore
- Longevity
- Appeal
- Character Design
- Usage
Without further ado, here are the X-Men we ranked 15-11!
15. Angel/ Archangel
Real Name: Warren Worthington III
1st Appearance: The X-Men #1 (1963)
Powers
Angel’s original powers were his wings and hollow bones which enabled him to fly. During the Mutant Massacre, he lost his wings but later had them replaced with techno-organic metal ones by Apocalypse. Now going by the name of Archangel, he could use the metal ‘feathers’ as deadly projectiles and the wings themselves as blades. He also gained talons and increased strength. Later, after he temporarily regained his original wings and appearance, it was discovered that his blood can cure and heal almost any wound or illness.
Biggest Story
During the Uncanny X-Force story ‘[easyazon_link identifier=”B00ARKCRV8″ locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]The Dark Angel Saga[/easyazon_link]’, Warren’s true persona was enveloped by the Archangel personality. He ascended to take the place of Apocalypse and carry on his creed: survival of the fittest. During his reign, he formed a new team of Horseman and sired two children with one of those Horsemen. The children would be taken into the future and return as adults. They’d go onto become known as the ‘Apocalypse Twins’ and battle against the Uncanny Avengers.
Strongest Aspect: Longevity
Like the rest of the original five X-Men, Warren debuted in 1963 in The X-Men #1. He’s been a staple and major part of the X-Men ever since and has been included in nearly all of the animated series as well as two films (X3: The Last Stand and X-Men: Apocalypse).
14. X-23
Real Name: Laura Kinney
1st Appearance: NYX #3 (2004)
Powers
X-23 is a clone of Wolverine, and in turn, has all the mutant abilities that he possesses. However, there are some differences. Instead of three claws, she only possesses two. She also has one that protrudes from either foot. X-23’s claws are laced with adamantium, but not the entirety of her skeleton like Wolverine. Because she has far less of the toxic metal in her system, her healing factor is far superior to Wolverine due to not having to constantly battle against the degenerative effects of the alloy.
Biggest Story
As her progenitor Wolverine will eventually come into possession of the Phoenix Force, X-23 herself has interacted with her own cosmic power. X-23 once bonded with the Uni-Power and became Captain Universe! The Uni-Power was being tampered with by the power-hungry, villain organization, A.I.M. As it has done many times in the past with other heroes, the Uni-Power sought-out Laura to stop them.
Strongest Aspect: Usage
Since her debut, X-23 has routinely been used in multiple books per month. She’s had solos and been part of both X-Men and the Avengers simultaneously. In the last year alone she’s been an active piece in both [easyazon_link identifier=”1302914863″ locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Uncanny X-Men[/easyazon_link] and X-Men: Red as well as her solo titles, All-New Wolverine and X-23.
13. Psylocke
Real Name: Elizabeth “Betsy” Braddock
1st Appearance: Captain Britain #8 (1976)
Powers
Psylocke is a high-level psionic capable of telekinesis and telepathy. She can move objects with a thought, create telekinetic constructs, read minds, and project her thoughts into the minds of others, among a host of other abilities. Combining aspects of the above she often utilizes her signature psi-dagger that can instantly incapacitate. It also produces a number of other effects.
Biggest Story
During the [easyazon_link identifier=”B005EJF8H2″ locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Psi-Wars[/easyazon_link], Psylocke, Storm and the X-Men battled against the African trickster-god, Ananasi. During the battle, Ananasi is revealed to actually be the Shadow King. In the end, Psylocke was able to bind the Shadow King within the Astral Plane using her own will. However, the resulting shockwave affected every psionic in the universe in some way. For instance, Psylocke’s telepathy was swapped out for telekinesis for quite some time.
Strongest Aspect: Character Design
Even though she was only featured in a couple of episodes of the 90s animated series, Psylocke is easily one of the most recognizable characters in the X-Men catalog. She maintained the same design for most of her existence, only recently ditching the leotard for a functional bodysuit that has been redesigned several times. She’s recently lost her Japanese body and regained her original Caucasian model, but even with the purple hair, she’s still easy to spot. And she still looks pretty Asian to me. What’s up with that?
12. Bishop
Real Name: Lucas Bishop
1st Appearance: Uncanny X-Men #282 (1991)
Powers
Bishop can absorb any energy directed at him in large quantities, convert it, and project it as destructive blasts of power. This goes for all energy, telepathic, heat, electricity, and even kinetic (force).
Biggest Story
Bishop’s biggest story doesn’t have him as the hero. During, or little before, the [easyazon_link identifier=”0785123202″ locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Messiah Complex[/easyazon_link] story, Bishop came into contact with the Demon Bear. The demonic force drove him to attempt murder against the first mutant child born after M-Day, Hope. Cable took the girl under his protection and sought refuge in various points in time. Bishop pursued them for years, well into Hope’s young-adulthood, as a matter of fact. At the height of his villainy, he allied himself with Stryfe and murdered an entire future Earth’s population.
Strongest Aspect: Character Design
Bishop’s signature look stayed with him for years after his debut. In a way, even up to his live-action feature in Days of Future Past. Beyond that, even with his unnecessary heel turn, he was the first of his kind in terms of powers and his origin, while having some parts similar to Cable, imaginative and tragic.
11. Magneto
Real Name: Max Eisenhardt
1st Appearance: The X-Men #1 (1963)
Powers
Magneto is famously gifted with the ability to manipulate magnetic fields of planets and other celestial bodies. This enables him to create shields, discharge blasts of EM energy, levitate metallic objects, disrupt electrical fields, and fly, among many other abilities his genius level intellect can dream up.
Biggest Story
During the [easyazon_link identifier=”0785162453″ locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Fatal Attractions[/easyazon_link] arc, the UN decided to enact the ‘Magneto Protocols’ which would have blocked him from accessing the Earth’s magnetic field. The idea did not go over well with Magneto. In response, he, aboard his new orbital fortress, Avalon (formerly Cable’s, Graymalkin), unleashed an EM pulse that crippled the planet’s electrical systems. The action resulted in the loss of many lives. Professor X would move on his former friend and assembled a strike team to confront Magneto. In the end, Wolverine’s adamantium was magnetically ripped from his skeleton and Magneto was left a comatose husk at the hands of Xavier. This opened the door for the creation of Onslaught.
Strongest Aspect: Appeal
Magneto has been around since the very beginning and in many ways has eclipsed even the original X-Men in popularity. He’s been in every iteration of the franchise from video games, to movies and TV shows. Though the color of his costume has changed a number of times, it never journeys very far from the original design. Characterization-wise, he’s as deep as any comic character having been molded after Malcolm-X and being a Holocaust survivor.
At this point, we know who hasn’t been mentioned yet, what X-Men are you looking forward to seeing? Check back with us as we break into the top 10 next time!
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